The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-02-26
ABOUT PARAEFINE.
Interesting Information Concerning It's
Manufacture and Its Uses.

Interesting Information Concerning Its
Manufacture and Its Uses.
1t was first discovered by Reichen-
bach i'll 1880, among the products of
distillation of wood; but it has since
been produced by the distillation of
many organic substances, such as
resins, bituminous shales, peat and bog
head coal, and has been found ready
formed in some varieties of petroleum,
i'll the mineral ozokerite, in bitumen or
earth wax. Various methods are en-
ployed for the preparation of paraffine,
depending upon whether it is u direct
or indirect product. Crude petroleum
is distilled until % per cent. has gone
over; the remaining portion is caught
in tanks surrounded by ice or refriger-
ating mixtures, and the paratline cake
condensed by the cold. Enormous
quantities of parafline are made from
ozokerite, which is yellow vegetable
wax, found il. Austria, Moldava, the
Caucasus, and near the Caspian Sea.
In its natural state it will melt rapidly,
but it requires to be wrapped around a
wick before it win burn. In the
manufacture, 800 pounds of ozokerite
are subjected ut n time TO fractional
distillatiOn in an iron still, provided
with coolers and condensers; the yield
is per cent. of oil, and 90 per cent. of
parafline. The oil is reserved for illu-
minating purposes. A portion of the
light oil, which boils below PIP degrees,
is used in refining parafline. The crude
paraf1ine contains an oil which is re-
moved under G hydraulic press and dis
titled to save adhering paraffine and
for other purposes. The press cakes
are melted and treated with sulphuric
acid, the acid is neutralized with lime,
and the parai1ine distilled off The pro-
duct is again pressed, melted with the
| light oil mentioned above, and once
more pressed. The final result is per-
fectly white, transparent, hard sub
stance, ready for the manufacture Of
candles Pure paralline is insoluble in
water, but readily soluble in warm
alcohol, ether, oil of turpentine, olive
oil, benzole, chloroform and carbon
disulphde. 1t is indifferent to the most
powerful acids and alkalies, and can be
distilled unchanged with strong oil of
vitriol. 1t readily combines in all pro-
portions with wax, stearine, palmitine
and resin. When required for candles,
its melting point is raised by fusing it
with stearine, wax or spermaceti.
Besides the consumption of paraf1ine
in the manufacture of candles, its APP
plications in the arts is extensive. Meat
several times immersed in bath of
parafline will keep for long time;
and when wanted it is only necessary
to melt off the adhering film to prepare
it for cooking. Further uses of parafiine
are for shoppers for acid bottles, to coat
paper for Photographic uses, as lu-
bricator, as burning oil, to coat pills, to
refine alcohol and spirits, for the pres
ervation of timber, to preserve fruit,
| for oil baths of constant temperature,
to prevent the oxidation of metals, to
render fabrics waterproof, in the man.
ufacture of matches, as disinfecting
agent, and rs a varnish for leather. In
some forms of the galvanic battery,
paraffine is introduced to prevent the
evaporation of the liquid and paraffine
insulators are used on telegraph lines.
In medicine the preservation and pro-
tecting properties of parailine are
brought into frequent requisition.
| ToIeG0 Blndp